NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      SAN FRANCISCO (CWNews.com) - The Archdiocese of San Francisco called on the city on Wednesday to revoke the permit for a group planning a street party on Easter featuring men dressed as nuns, mocking the Catholic Church and her teachings.

      The group, known as the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, planned to celebrate their 20th anniversary on Easter with a street party in the Castro District, which has a large homosexual population. Allowing a group that "mocks the Catholic Church" to close a public street on Easter is comparable to "allowing a group of neo-Nazis to close a city street for a celebration on the Jewish feast of Passover," said archdiocesan spokesman Maurice Healy.

      A spokesman for the mock-nuns said the party will be held despite the opposition. "We're really appalled at the insensitivity of comparing us to neo-Nazis, which totally invalidates the Jewish struggle against Nazis," the spokesman said. "The Catholic Church should be ashamed for promoting such absurdity. There are no pagan rituals. The goal is education and celebration."